Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023- The long arm of the law(n)

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023 | ☀️ High 18C

Good morning!

Growing up, my best friend’s family had a huge lawn that stretched from their house to the highway. But it wasn’t covered in boring old green grass: instead, their lawn was made up entirely of dandelions. It was a stunning, gorgeous yellow in the summer. To this day, I’m not entirely sure if the dandelions were intentional, or if they just got out of control at one point and my friends parents decided to lean into it. Luckily, they lived out in the country and didn’t have many close neighbours. Otherwise I’m sure someone would have complained.

You can read more about intentionally less-grassy lawns—and the rules around them—in today’s story. Members can also read a story of lawn renovation from a reader at the bottom of the newsletter. Become a member and support our journalism here.

WORTH KNOWING

🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope

⚠️ Here’s the current smoke forecast / Check the BC Wildfire Dashboard here

🚘 Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google, and find DriveBC’s latest updates.

NEWS

Where butterfly gardens are banned

An unsightly lawn is bad. An ugly lawn is good.

If you can figure out the difference, you might be a municipal bylaw officer.

On Tuesday, we wrote about the dilemma facing landowners and cities when it comes to creating drought-resistant, ecologically beneficial yards. Today we look at property maintenance bylaws in each Fraser Valley municipality, where rules often promote the growth of the same lawns cities beg residents not to water.

• Today, Tyler writes about the laws of the lawns.

Need to know

🐴 A Langley senior who was severely injured during a barn fire was rescuing horses [Langley Advance Times]

🖼️ The Fort Langley Community Association is accepting design submissions for street banners in Fort Langley; the selected artist will receive $1,000 [Fort Langley Community Association]

🏬 The City of Abbotsford and Abbotsford’s Downtown Business Association are surveying businesses to get feedback [Abbotsford News]

🚓 A body was found along Highway 3 near Hope; police are suspicious [Hope Standard]

👉️ The Langley Hospice Society thanked volunteers for decades of service [Langley Advance Times]

🚨 A pedestrian was struck near a crosswalk in Chilliwack on Wednesday morning [Fraser Valley Today]

💵 A couple in Yarrow left $230 million to the MCC in property [Abbotsford News]

➡️ The FVRD is requesting further funding for radon mitigation efforts [Chilliwack Progress]

🎢 Sasquatch Mountain Resort has opened an aerial park [Sasquatch Mountain Resort/Facebook]

👉️ Protests against teaching gender diversity in schools happened in cities across the province yesterday including Chilliwack and Abbotsford; large numbers of counter-protesters arrived at the rallies in many communities [CBC; Fraser Valley Today; Abbotsford News]

🐕️ Conservation officers put down a coyote in Mission after nine people were bit in less than a week [Mission Record]

📷 CURRENT CAM: Congrats to Laura Reid, who was the first to identify the pond in Salish Park in Chilliwack as the location of yesterday’s Current Cam photo.

The Agenda

Large townhouse complex plotted near UFV

A Vancouver-based developer is plotting the construction of a large townhouse complex just west of the University of the Fraser Valley’s Abbotsford campus.

Anthem Properties wants to build a 130-unit townhouse project at 1455 McCallum Rd. The property, although currently farmed, is located just outside of the Agricultural Land Reserve and just south of King Road. The application was made Sept. 7. To proceed, the developer requires the property to be rezoned, which will necessitate a lengthy application process followed by a public hearing.

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Throwback Thursday

The Stave Falls were first eyed for hydroelectric power production in the late 1800s. Construction began on the first dam in 1909, and the first generator was installed in 1911. Four more generators would be added to harness the power of the flowing water over the next 15 years.

This photo pictures the second dam, or the Blind Slough Dam, under construction between 1925 and 1926. The second dam was intended to supplement the new reservoir’s size and serve as a spillway.

🗓 Things to do

🧱 Independent film: The Abbotsford Film Society is holding a screening of Brick, an independent film, at The Banquet Room in Abbotsford on Friday, Sept. 22. Get tickets online.

🎨 Archive art: The Mission Community Archives are holding a free class on creativity and memory on Saturday, Sept. 23. Meet artists who use archival material in their work and make a memory collage of your own. Reserve a spot online.

🍒 Harvest party: The Bog Cranberry Farm is holding its harvest kickoff party featuring food trucks, local brews, and a cranberry plunge. Tickets online.

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